Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 27th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left the dock on this day and pointed North up San Juan Channel. We then wrapped around the top of San Juan Island and entered Haro Strait to the West. This huge body of water had multiple whale reports throughout the day, so we were excited to head that way and check it out! It didn't take long for us to come across our first species. We noticed the tall exhalations of two Humpback Whales from way out in the distance. We took a few...

Lauren Tschirhart | August 23rd, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 10:00 am 

Our morning tour aboard the M/V Kestrel was a huge success! Overall we got the opportunity to observe a total of 12 Bigg’s Killer Whales. The first group we spotted is known as the T099’s and they were traveling with T037A4/ Crinkle, an 11-year-old female. The T037A’s have been widely dispersed this summer, T037A/ Volker (mom) and T037A2/ Inky have been hanging out as a duo, but the rest of the kids have been off linking up and...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 24th, 2026 | 2:00pm

This tour left the dock with a report of whales moving North. They were first picked up near Waldron Island and were pointed towards the Canadian boarder. On our way up there we made a stop at a nearby kelp bed to check out a Sea Otter that has been frequenting it lately. He was resting while wrapped in kelp. We got amazing looks at this little guy as we floated past with our engines shut off. We then headed North and made one more stop...

Kelly | M/V Kestrel | August 22nd, 2026 | 2pm

We left Friday Harbor and followed along the ferry route across the channel and into the heart of the San Juan’s. Taking a hard left we made our way into Eastsound and pointed steady north. Whales were reported deep into the sound, almost all the way to the town of Eastsound itself. We soon spotted a large dorsal fin in the distance! This was a pair of whales from the T37A’s identified as:

• T037A/Volker — female, born in 1994
• T037A2/Inky — male, born in...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 21st, 2026 | 2:00pm

This tour began with several different whale reports scattered around the San Juan Islands. We chose to point Northwest and head towards Waldron Island. The water was incredibly calm, and a bit of fog was moving in which made it feel like a very "pacific northwest" kind of whale watch. We arrived to the top of Waldron and slowly approached a group of five Bigg's Killer Whales. It was the T36As, and it was my first time seeing this family...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 21st, 2026 | 10:00am

On this particular morning, whale reports had been developing quite early in the morning. This was perfect for us, as we actually had options when we left the dock at 10am! We began by going strait into the inner islands and moving up West Sound, which is a body of water that juts up into the bottom of Orcas Island. We got to the top of West Sound and were welcomed with perfectly calm water and beautiful weather. We began watching the...

Aly Liu | M/V Kestrel | Thursday, August 20, 2026 | 2:00 pm

Every day we depart the dock, we always have a plan; however, that plan often changes. Especially when you find a group of killer whales! After heading south down San Juan Channel, we turned the corner into Haro Strait, where we eventually spotted a massive sail-like dorsal fin cutting through the water, with several smaller fins present in spread out groups. It was a family of six Bigg’s killer whales known as the T109As hugging the...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 18th, 2026 | 2:00pm

We left Friday Harbor with absolutely beautiful weather on this tour. We turned North out of town and moved up San Juan Channel. We began by scanning the South shoreline of Spieden Island for wildlife, and were rewarded with so many Deer and Mouflon Sheep sightings! There were also a few Harbor Seals hauled out on the shoreline. From there we continued Northwest and wrapped around Stuart Island. We then encountered a family of six Bigg's...

Lauren Tschirhart | August 16th, 2026 | M/V Kestrel | 2:00 pm

After the excitement of our 10:00 am tour, I could not wait to get back out on the water to see what the whales were up to. Our 2:00 pm Adventure Tour departed Friday Harbor and headed north in San Juan Channel. We cruised northwest through Spieden Channel, viewing an abundance of wildlife along the shoreline. We saw mouflon sheep, Steller Sea Lions, harbor seals and bald eagles. We then made our way into the Haro Strait, aimed towards...

Levi Vandebunte | M/V Kestrel | August 18th, 2026 | 9:00am

We left Roche Harbor with no whale reports in the area yet, which is very common for a tour this early. The beauty of the Salish Sea though is that there is always wildlife to be found if you search hard enough! We began by moving up Spieden Channel and wrapping around Stuart Island. We suddenly spotted two Steller Sea Lions swimming North through the water. This was quite surprising to me, as the Stellers that choose to stay in the...